Information AboutParable |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT PARABLE | |
| parables | |
| rhetoric | |
| literary devices playing with meaning | |
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A parable is a brief, succinct story, in Prose or Verse , that illustrates a Moral or Religious lesson. It differs from a ''' Fable ''' in ''excluding'' animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech and other powers of humankind. CHARACTERISTICS .]] The word "parable" comes from the Greek "''παραβολή''" (''parabolē''), the name given by Greek Rhetoricians to any fictive illustration in the form of a brief narrative. Later it came to mean a Fictitious Narrative , generally referring to something that might naturally occur, by which Spiritual and Moral matters might be conveyed. Examples of parable are Jesus Of Nazareth 's " Parable Of The Prodigal Son " and Ignacy Krasicki 's " The Blind Man And The Lame ." A parable is the simplest of Narrative s. It sketches a Setting , and describes an Action and its Result s. It often involves a character facing a Moral Dilemma , or making a questionable Decision and then suffering the Consequence s of that choice. Many Folktale s could be viewed as extended parables. The Prototypical parable differs from the Apologue in that it is an inherently Probable and Realistic story — one taking place in some familiar setting of life. Many Fairy Tale s could be viewed as extended parables, except for their Magic al settings. , according to Raphael .]] As with a Fable , a parable should relate a single, simple, consistent action, without extraneous detail nor distracting circumstances. In Plato 's '' Republic '', parables like that of the shadows in the cave encapsulate an Abstract argument into a Concrete , more easily grasped narrative. In the preface to his translation of ''Aesop's Fables'', George Fyler Townsend defined "parable" as "the designed use of language purposely intended to convey a hidden and secret meaning other than that contained in the words themselves, and which may or may not bear a special reference to the hearer or reader." A parable is like a Metaphor that has been extended to form a brief, coherent fiction. Unlike the situation with a Simile , a parable's parallel meaning is unspoken and implicit, though not ordinarily secret. The defining characteristic of the parable is the presence of Prescriptive subtext, suggesting how a person should behave or believe. Aside from providing guidance and suggestions for proper action in life, parables frequently use Metaphor ical language which allows people to more easily discuss difficult or complex ideas. Parable and comes to bear, and a single Moral is deduced. HISTORY '', by Jeroen Bosch .]] Parables are favored in the expression of Spiritual concepts. The best-known source of parables in Christendom is the '' Bible '', which contains numerous parables. Besides the familiar Parables Of Jesus in the '' New Testament '', such as those of "the Good Samaritan " and "the Prodigal Son ," two parables in the '' Old Testament '' are the "parable of the ewe-lamb" told by Nathan in , and that of "the woman of Tekoah" in . Medieval Biblical Exegesis often treated Jesus ' parables as detailed allegories, with symbolic Correspondence s found for every element in the brief narratives. Modern critics regard these interpretations as inappropriate and untenable. Recently there has been interest in contemporary parable, exploring how modern stories can be used as parables. A mid- 19th-century contemporary parable is the " Parable Of The Broken Window ," which exposes a fallacy in Economic thinking. REFERENCES
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